Happy Fall! Time to think about your coolant

It’s fall, and time to thing about getting your vehicle ready for adverse weather.

This is a good time to think about your engine cooling system. Regular inspections and pressure tests of your cooling system are very important, as is good maintenance by following the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended coolant change intervals. Over time, the protective anti-corrosive additives in antifreeze break down and lose effectiveness.

Antifreeze has two very important jobs:

• It lowers the temperature at which the coolant freezes.

• It raises the temperature at which the coolant will begin to boil.

It is also very important that the proper ratio of water to antifreeze is always maintained. Unless specified otherwise by the vehicle manufacturer, the coolant in most vehicles should consist of a mixture of 50/50 water and antifreeze.

Adding more antifreeze to the mix is not a good idea (unless otherwise specified by the vehicle manufacturer). Once antifreeze exceeds 65 percent antifreeze, not only does it reduce freeze protection, heat dissipation can radically decrease as water is the primary component for this purpose. Antifreeze itself actually has fairly poor heat transfer characteristics. Having too much antifreeze in the mixture can actually cause engine overheating.

When having your vehicle’s air conditioning system serviced, insist on quality replacement parts as well as recovery and recycling so that refrigerant can be reused and not released into the atmosphere.

This week’s paper

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1 month agoby pointrobertspressBlaine police chief Allen Schubert estimates more than 300 people attended an open house hosted at the Blaine Police Department on November 7. The event featured tours, raffles and dinner. “The open house was a big success,” Schubert told Blaine City Council this week. “It is just all part of our goal of being more community oriented.” See more photos by clicking the link in our bio. Photos by Stefanie Donahue and Richard Sturgill. #BlaineWa#BlainePolice

4 weeks agoby pointrobertspressBlaine’s Community Assistance Program expected to serve about 275 families through its annual Thanksgiving Basket program – about the same as last year – although people were still signing up early on November 20, the day of distribution, said program director Rhyan Lopez. CAP had grocery vouchers to give out if food ran out. CAP volunteers were also expecting to get 419 pies to the distribution center next to Cost Cutter. Several churches and community groups competed to bake the most pies, and the Girl Scouts were in the lead at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. Photos by Oliver Lazenby. #Thanksgiving

3 weeks agoby pointrobertspressMembers of the Whatcom Family YMCA, Beachwood Resort, North Whatcom Fire and Rescue and others held a ribbon cutting ceremony on November 26 to celebrate the beginning of the YMCA’s swim lessons at Beachwood Resort located at 5001 Bay Road in Birch Bay. It’s the first YMCA program in Birch Bay, but YMCA staff say they hope to offer more in the future. To learn more, click the link in our bio. Photo by Oliver Lazenby. #BirchBay#SwimLessons#YMCA#WhatcomFamilyYMCA

2 weeks agoby pointrobertspressBlaine’s annual holiday celebration took place downtown on December 1. The event featured an arts market, history museum, live music, fun run, tree lighting and more. Photos by Aly Siemion, Heidi Holmes, Stefanie Donahue and Louise Mugar. To see more photos, click the link in our bio. #HolidayHarborLights#BlaineWA

6 days agoby pointrobertspressSharon Mayson, l., and Wendy Donaghy, r., of Angels Descending performed a variety of festive tunes at the Blaine Senior Center on December 8. The performance, called ‘Christmas Joy: A Holiday Concert,’ attracted about 40 people. Photo by Stefanie Donahue. #BlaineWA#BlaineSeniorCenter#HolidayConcert

Police Reports

December 5, 8:58 p.m.: Officers responded to the Peace Arch Port of Entry for a report of a suspended driver. Officers arrived and determined the individual was, in fact, suspended in the 3rd degree. Officer arrested, cited and released the individual with a mandatory court date. Officers cleared with no further incident.
December 6, 4:10 a.m.: Officers on patrol observed a commercial vehicle parked facing the wrong way in a no parking zone. The driver was contacted and issued a traffic infraction.
December 6, 11:41 a.m.: An Officer responded to a two car collision in an alley way. The Officer did an exchange of information for the drivers.
December 7, 10:03 p.m.: Officers were called to the Blaine Christmas tree for a report of a juvenile trying to climb the tree. There was no apparent damage to the tree. The youth was given a warning and officers cleared. Chief’s Note: This case was forwarded to Detective Kringle for further investigation.
December 7, 11 p.m.: Officers on patrol contacted a transient male attempting to sleep on the sidewalk in sub-freezing weather. The man was given a courtesy ride to a heated shelter. Officers cleared. Chief’s Note: The Blaine Police Department has numerous resources to ensure homeless citizens are not left out in the cold. The safety and welfare of all residents, whether they are permanent or temporary, is our utmost concern and has a lasting impression on the perception of our great city.
December 7, 11:30 p.m.: Officers responded to a report of a fight at a local bar. Upon arrival, officers were told that a pedestrian had been harassed by a car of young adults. The teenagers tried to instigate a fight and then left the area. No license plate had been observed. Officers searched for the vehicle but it had left the area prior to when officers arrived.
December 9, 8:10 a.m.: Person reported a male subject was walking back and forth in front of her residence and would walk up into her driveway. Officer located the male subject standing in the person’s driveway. Officer determined the subject was intoxicated and confused at where he was. Subject thought his vehicle was parked at this residence. Officer transported the subject home. Officer cleared with no further incident.
December 9, 11:22 a.m.: An individual called to complain about hunters in the area. The individual was advised the hunting season is open. The individual asked how long the season was. The Officer referred her to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website for further information. Officer cleared without law enforcement action.
December 10, 2:55 p.m.: Officer was working traffic enforcement in the school zone when he witnessed a student on campus even though he had been trespassed from the school campus. Officer arrested the student and then turned him over to his mother. Case was forwarded to the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office.
December 10, 8:55 p.m.: An officer on patrol stopped a vehicle for operating without taillights. The driver was contacted and admitted to drinking. The driver was arrested for DUI and booked into the Whatcom County Jail.
December 10, 7:26 p.m.: Blaine police were called to the Cost Cutter shopping complex for a report of a man trying to open multiple car doors in the parking lot. An officer arrived and found the man. The man stated that he was just locking up his friend’s car before trying to find a cigarette. The vehicle in question was actually registered to the person who the man said gave him a ride. Without any evidence to prove he got into any other vehicles, the man was not arrested but was trespassed at the request of Cost Cutter. The responding officer relayed the man’s information to dispatch and it was later learned that he had multiple warrants for his arrest. The man left in the vehicle a few minutes prior to the officer getting this information and was not able to locate him again. Chief’s Note: I will personally review this case with the responding officer to determine howthis unsatisfactory resolution occurred.